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This section is for discussion about mangas and animes. Cross-over battles are forbidden in this section as stated in the forum rules.

Valvrave the Liberator

General Info:

Series Name: Valvrave the Liberator

Original Anime by Sunrise.

Year of Serialization:
Multiple Manga have been released from June 24, 2013 and some are still ongoing.
Anime was released on April 12, 2013 through December 26, 2013.
2 Light Novel released in July 2013 and November 2013 and are ongoing.

Author(s): Ichirō Ōkouchi

Artist(s): Sunrise

Genre(s): Science Fiction, Japanese Mecha, Drama

Current Status: Finished Airing on December 26, 2013.

Moment of Reviewing: After watching the anime series, 24 episodes.

Other Formats:Manga Adaptions

Valvrave the Liberator: Uragiri no Rakuin - Ongoing, written by Ichiya SazanamiValvrave the Liberator: Ryūsei no Valkyrie - Ongoing, written by Yutaka Ōhori
Kakumei Club Valvra-bu - Ongoing, written by Kanikama

Light Novels

Valvrave the Liberator - Ongoing, written by Yomoji Otono
Valvrave the Liberator: Undertaker - Ongoing, written by Ryōji Kansai

Anime Trailer

Series Summary:

The story takes place in an unspecified future date, referred to as the 71st year of the True Era (真暦 Shinreki?). 70% of all human beings have migrated from Earth to other planets of the Solar System and a Dyson sphere, constructed around an artificial Sun. The world is divided between two superpowers called the Dorssia Military Pact Federation (ドルシア軍事盟約連邦 Dorushia Gunji Meiyaku Renpō?) and the Atlantic Ring United States (環大西洋合衆国 Kan Taiseiyō Gasshūkoku?) (ARUS), and a neutral nation called JIOR (ジオール Jiōru?), the Japan and Islands of Oceanian Republic, that has prospered economically. In the same year, the Dyson sphere, built by JIOR, is invaded by the Dorssian military forces.

Critical Review:

Story

The story of Valvrave the Liberator is an odd one. It involves the prominent teenage angst seen in a lot of anime of this nature but also contains a political nature to it. The story contains an odd mix of mature themes and youthful tones in it. As the story progresses, the mature themes become more prominent and come from an undertone to the full theme of the anime. The story seems light-hearted at first but as the story progresses, we can see a change in the nature of the characters and the animation.

The story is also very difficult to follow and often leaves the viewer with many plot holes that aren't plugged up till later, frustratingly enough. These plot holes can vary a great deal to being a major key component missing or a character's entire motivation for their actions being left out of the discussion or how characters entered into the story.

Characters

There are a multitude of characters in this show that are introduced very early on and end up playing a large part in the over arching story. Even the more plain looking students end up being key members of the cast. The characters can also be clearly defined by their origin which is a testament to the animators ability to create a style that becomes known to a certain nation or group of people.

The main character is one of the more bland looking characters in the series but as a viewer, we are able to sympathize with him more easily than an unreachable main character. As a viewer, we are open to the emotions our main charater undergoes but also see how this affects him as a person. As a main character, he undergoes many changes and deals with hardships. We see how each ordeal and pain changes him and follow him through the entire series. At first, he isn't the ideal main character but give him some time and he becomes an independent main character.

The large amount of characters can be overwhelming but it is refreshing to have anybody in the cast be able to become a larger part than what they may have seemed. We see their changes and although we cannot sympathize as well as our main character, we can still feel their changes as a viewer. Due to the plot hole nature of the series, viewers will also create a multitude of speculations for each character and attempt to guess what part of the story they will play a part in which can help in the depth that each viewer can obtain while watching.

Sound

The original soundtrack is fitting and often times brings out the tension and power of a situation. The opening and ending songs are excellently composed and fit the theme of the show.

WARNING: May Contain Spoilers

Opening 1

Ending 1

Opening 2

Ending 2

Animation

This show's animation style is amazingly coordination and works well together. The animation is always smooth and powerful. The mecha scenes are particularly amazingly done, using vibrant colors and smooth action to create an eye-popping scene.

Final Thoughts

This anime is one of the more recent well-known anime and for many good reasons. The show is composed excellently but also the story goes to extravagant proportions and pulls in many features from different sources to create an odd culmination of insanity. This show's story and insane plot is more than enough reason to watch but with the amazingly constructed mecha scenes, this show is a must watch for anyone interested in having a fun adventure with story and explosions.

The Show in a Nutshell

Also, don't take the show too seriously, it's crazy so don't be upset because it's so crazy.